Connor is loving the captaincy challenge at Poppies

Connor Kennedy is loving the challenge of being captain at Kettering Town.

The combative midfielder was handed the armband during pre-season and has continued to lead the Poppies in the early stages of the Vanarama National League North campaign.

Paul Cox’s new-look team have enjoyed a solid start and have looked particularly impressive in their last three matches as they drew 1-1 with Farsley Celtic before winning 2-0 at Gloucester City on Bank Holiday Monday before turning in a fine display to claim a 1-1 draw with much-fancied AFC Fylde at Latimer Park last weekend.

Kettering are now gearing up for a trip to Guiseley tomorrow (Saturday).

And Kennedy insists the Poppies won’t be getting ahead of themselves as he urged his team-mates to “take every game as it comes”.

When asked about his role as captain, the 24-year-old said: “It’s been good. I am still quite young to be a captain but I have enjoyed it to be fair.

“It’s a good challenge but it’s made easier when you are picking up good results and putting in good performances and that’s what we have to keep doing.

“We have to take it a game at a time, it’s too early in the season to look at league tables.

“We just take every game as it comes. You can only play what’s in front of you so we will keep working hard and keep trying to pick up points.

“The last three games have been good for us and I think the formation we play suits us.

“We have three at the back and we have three in the middle and it makes us nice and solid down the middle.

“And we have good wide players and it’s up to us to get out there and help them. I think the formation just really suits the players we have got.”

Cox felt his team were “a bit unlucky” to only take one point from a tough clash with unbeaten Fylde last Saturday.

And it was hard to argue with that assessment as the Poppies hit the woodwork three times while visiting goalkeeper Chris Neal made a couple of superb saves to keep them out.

In the end, a Callum Powell penalty earned them a share of the spoils but Kennedy was impressed by the way the young Poppies went about their business.

“It was a tough game,” he said.

“They are a good side and they are one of the biggest clubs in the league. I thought we dug in deep.

“We have a young side and I thought the lads did really well. We won our individual battles and I thought we should have won the game to be honest.

“I don’t think we could have done more than we did to win it.

“We were solid at the back and going forward we looked really good. We just have to keep it going.”